Natural history
Yellow River: A Natural and Unnatural History
Ruth Mostern · 2021
Explains why the Yellow River runs so thick with silt, the reason Hukou's water turns ochre as it drops into the gorge.
China · Shaanxi / Shanxi border
Hukou Falls
壶口瀑布
The entire Yellow River funnels through a narrow rock spout barely 30 metres wide, turning the world second-longest river into a violent brown torrent that ancient poets likened to a kettle spout, giving the falls their name. In deep winter the spray freezes into vast ice sculptures across the gorge.
The largest waterfall on the Yellow River, and the world's biggest yellow one Essentials guide
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Hukou Falls drops 20 metres (66 ft) across a face roughly 30 metres wide on the Yellow River. It is a block-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Jixian, with TYN the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy.
As a block waterfall, a wide sheet of water falling from a broad river.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Hukou Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Jixian are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Autumn and spring give strong, silt-heavy flow; a winter ice formation event draws crowds in January.
Entry: Entry fee ~¥90
Getting there
- Base town Jixian
- Airport TYN
- Country China
- Region Shaanxi / Shanxi border, East Asia, Asia
- Access Easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint
How it compares
This waterfall
Hukou Falls
China
Height20 mWidth30 m
Most similar
Salto Grande
Chile
Height16 mWidth—
Also a block waterfall and of similar height
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
16 m
20 m
108 m
330 m
979 m
Salto GrandeHukou FallsVictoria FallsEiffel TowerAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
Hukou Falls
30 m
Angel Falls is 49× taller than Hukou Falls. Victoria Falls is 5.4× taller and 57× wider. Khone Phapheng Falls is 359× wider. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Videos from Hukou Falls
22:55
1:23
24:38
Chosen from YouTube; videos belong to their creators and play from YouTube's privacy-enhanced player.
Books worth packing
Lonely Planet ChinaLonely Planet
Guidebook
Lonely Planet China
Lonely Planet · 2024
Covers Guizhou (Huangguoshu), Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan and the Yellow River loess country around Hukou in one volume.
On the map
36.1487, 110.4439
Quick answers
Where is Hukou Falls?
Hukou Falls is in China (Shaanxi / Shanxi border). The nearest base is Jixian and the closest airport is TYN. Its coordinates are 36.1487, 110.4439.
How tall is Hukou Falls?
Hukou Falls drops 20 metres (66 feet), across a face about 30 metres wide. It is a block-type waterfall on the Yellow River.
When is the best time to visit Hukou Falls?
Peak flow is April to May and September to October. Autumn and spring give strong, silt-heavy flow; a winter ice formation event draws crowds in January.
What can you do at Hukou Falls?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint.
How do you get to Hukou Falls?
The usual base is Jixian, and the closest airport is TYN. A short walk or roadside viewpoint from there. Entry fee ~¥90.
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